Trio accused in high-dollar jewelry heist at Avenues Mall store

Elegant Watches owner shares surveillance video capturing theft

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - There was a high-dollar heist captured on camera Friday at the Avenues Mall.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, thieves made off with thousands of dollars' worth of jewelry -- without anyone knowing for hours -- from Elegant Watches, located in between JCPenny and Ruby Tuesday.

Kam Kamran, the owner of Elegant Watches, told News4Jax on Monday that three necklaces worth about $15,000 were taken.

"That's a lot of money for us," he said.

Kamran also shared surveillance video showing the heist in progress. The video shows two women distracting a clerk and a man touching expensive gold necklaces.

"They said they can't see very good, their eyesight is weak, so they want to see some chains and can you show us close?" explained Kamran.

It seemed planned out. In the video, the employee shows them the gold chain and they look interested, asking question after question.

"They looked like ... regular customers," Kamran said.

But a closer look at the video appears to show the man is not just feeling the chains, he is opening the clasps and sliding them into his fist and then his pocket.

It took employees several hours to find out what happened with the necklaces. They were going through the inventory when they noticed three of them were missing, so they went to the surveillance cameras and saw what happened.

Kamran said he alerted other store owners and a day later, his friends at the Orange Park Mall spotted the same man, but nothing was taken. Now, Kamran said he hopes the thieves don’t strike again.

"I hope they get caught soon and we will get our stuff back," he said.

In the wake of the theft, Kamran said he's doing things differently and the Avenues Mall management and security have been on high alert.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 904-630-0500.